Archive for the ‘Monterey Historics’ tag

If you’re taking part in the great automotive Woodstock that is Monterey week next month, an absolutely essential stop is the Rolex Monterey Motorsport Reunion. As if to underscore that fact in a highly auditory manner, the reunion will have the baddest cars ever to turn a wheel on a road course, the cars of the Can-Am Challenge Cup, as its lead category. It’s a very apt selection.

For the uninitiated, the Can-Am was a pro-level series put on by the SCCA that ran in its original, rules-free iteration between 1966 and 1974. No single wilder class of racing car has ever competed on a race course in North America. Engines, aerodynamics and even the cars’ basic layout were essentially free. It was one of the earliest series to have major sponsorship (Johnson Wax) and drew drivers from disciplines that ranged from NASCAR to Formula 1. The accompanying photo from 1973 at Laguna Seca, which hosts the Monterey Historics, punctuates those facts. Assaulting the Corkscrew are Vic Elford in the UOP Shadow, trailed by Bobby Brown in McLaren M8F (number 97), David Hobbs in a McLaren M20 (73), Charlie Kemp in a Porsche 917-10, Ed Felter in a McLaren M8E (47) and future F1 world champion Jody Scheckter in another Porsche 917-10 (0) pursue. Track publicist and historian Barry Toepke said the aluminum big-block Chevrolet in the UOP car was rumored to have 1,200 to 1,500 horsepower.

More than 30 period Can-Am cars will rock Laguna Seca in their class, one of 15 groups that will make up the reunion, set for August 14-17. For more information, visit MazdaRaceway.com.

The history of racing Corvettes is a long and storied one, but few competition Corvettes stand out quite as much as the five Grand Sport models that were constructed for the sole purpose of victory at tracks like Sebring and at Le Mans, against formidable competition like the Cobras of Carroll Shelby. Built in secret by GM in 1962 under the direction of Zora Arkus-Duntov, Grand Sport models placed a specific emphasis on light weight and improved braking, and plans called for a new 377-cu.in. V-8 engine with quad carburetors to be stuffed between the front fenders. Aluminum replaced steel tubing, and the bodies were crafted of thin, hand-laid fiberglass. Steel wheels were replaced with cast-magnesium wheels, and disc brakes were used in all four corners. Today, seeing one of these rare cars on display is impressive, but the upcoming Rolex Monterey Motorsport Reunion will feature two (and possibly even three) of the original Corvette Grand Sport models on track at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

To get around a 1957 ban on manufacturers participating in racing by the Automobile Manufacturers Association, the plan was to build the minimum number of Corvette Grand Sport models required for homologation purposes and sell these to privateer teams without GM’s direct involvement. It may have worked, too, but word of a near track record at Sebring in the Corvette Grand Sport soon reached GM Chairman Frederic Donner, who wasted no time in issuing an edict in January of 1963 that ended all GM-backed racing efforts. Despite this, the Grand Sport prototypes soon found their way into the hands of privateer teams, with GM engineers occasionally taking “vacations” at notable racing events where the Grand Sport cars were run. One such event was the 1963 Nassau Speed Week in the Bahamas. When the two entered Grand Sports dropped out of the Tourist Trophy Race with overheated differentials, a “vacationing” engineer was able to produce a pair of differential coolers from his luggage, and the Grand Sports went on to beat the entered Shelby Cobras in the Governor’s Cup and Nassau Trophy races.

Vic Edelbrock leads a pack of cars through the Corkscrew in 2012. Photo by Bob Heathcote.

In recognition of the 60th anniversary of the Chevrolet Corvette, the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion (often billed as “an automotive museum, come to life”) will honor the Corvette as its featured marque. More than 60 racing Corvettes, spanning all generations and including Grand Sport chassis numbers 003 and 004, will be displayed in static and on-track events throughout the weekend.

The first Corvette, launched in 1953, may have appeared sporty in nature, but its modified sedan chassis and 150hp inline six-cylinder engine, mated to a two-speed Powerglide automatic transmission, produced merely modest performance. Handling was hampered by the car’s live rear axle and drum brakes, and panel fit of the original 1953 model’s fiberglass body (available only in Polo White) left much to be desired, even by the standards of the day. Those limitations and production realities aside, the Corvette was still designed to be more than just a “sporty” convertible. The engine and transmission were mounted as far back in the car as possible, giving it a 53:47 front to rear weight ratio for improved handling. The first power upgrade came in the form of a Paxton supercharger, available as a dealer-installed option in 1954; sales, however, remained disappointing, with more than 30 percent of 1954 production remaining unsold at year’s end. Clearly the Corvette lacked something that buyers wanted.

Photo by Bob Heathcote.

That something turned out to be the small-block Chevrolet V-8, launched in the 1955 Corvette. By the end of the year, a three-speed manual transmission had become available, and the Corvette was well on its way to becoming a performance icon. In 1955, Duntov demonstrated the potential of the small-block V-8 equipped Corvette by driving a pre-production 1956 Corvette to a class win (and a stock car record) in the Pikes Peak Hill Climb. Not content with this victory, Duntov next drove a modified 1954 Corvette fitted with the V-8 engine to a top speed of 163 MPH at a test track in Phoenix; his real purpose, however, was to use the Corvette to establish a new speed record at Daytona Beach during the 1956 Speed Weeks, a much more visible venue than a closed-track high speed run.

In testing on the sand at Daytona Beach, Duntov hit a speed of 150.583 MPH in his modified 1954 Corvette, now fitted with 1956 body panels. Headwinds prevented a repeat performance during the later timed runs, but driver John Fitch managed a pass of 145.543 MPH in a mildly modified 1956 Corvette, followed by a run of 137.773 MPH from Betty Skelton in a similarly prepared Corvette. Duntov’s heavily altered Corvette ran to a top speed of 147.300 MPH, setting a modified class record.

As a result of Duntov’s success at Daytona Beach, GM approved the construction of three Corvette race cars to compete in the 1956 12 Hours of Sebring. As the race was a mere six weeks after the record run at Daytona Beach, the team tasked with the ambitious effort (under the direction of John Fitch) didn’t have the luxury of time for significant testing. While the Corvettes weren’t really competitive in the race, they finished well enough to kick off an advertising campaign linking the Corvette to Sebring and racing, and sales began to blossom in 1957.

Corvettes at Le Mans, 1960. Photo courtesy GM Media.

As sales increased, the Corvette soon became a fixture in North American sports car racing competition. Chevrolet even produced race-ready Corvettes (ordered under the RPO option), allowing privateers to buy competitive cars without having to invest the time and money otherwise needed for development. In 1960, the Corvette made its debut at Le Mans, where Briggs Cunningham fielded a team of three cars. While two retired early, the third managed a class win (and an eighth place overall finish) despite being saddled with cooling issues in the closing hours.

In the decades since, there have been too many iconic racing Corvettes to name, but General Motors has always used motorsports to advance the development of its premier sports car. An event like the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion brings this history to life, making the evolution (and motorsports history) of the Corvette over the past six decades even more captivating (and far more visceral).

The 2013 Rolex Monterey Reunion is scheduled for August 16-18, 2013 at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. For more information, visit MazdaRaceway.com.

This photo of a Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa with its original yet broken 12-cylinder engine replaced with a Ford V-8 has resulted in a maelstrom of speculation and recollections that the car is the same Testa Rossa that recently sold for more than $16 million in Monterey. By all accounts, the Ferrari saw plenty of time on the road and race track through not just a few engines, but also a few sets of body panels.

The story and photo spring from Doug Stokes and Scot Sanders, whose late father, Bob Sanders, is sitting behind the wheel of the Testa Rossa on Christmas day in 1964. The car was driven up from Manhattan Beach to Covina, California, after Scot was hired by its latest owner to relieve the race-worn Ferrari V-12 and swap in a fresh Ford V-8. Scot drove it up on Christmas to show his Dad and sister Sharlene. An engine swap like this was a relatively inexpensive way to go road racing.

Rob Carveth in Santa Barbara, California, with the original V-12.

Before calls of blasphemy and Enzo himself rolling in his grave commence, bear in mind that however beautiful the car was and is, at the time it was considered old and uncompetitive. Add the rarity and expense of parts to repair the V-12, and the Testa Rossa was worth less than it would have cost to repair the broken engine – around $3,500 by Stokes’s own estimate. And that was if you could even find Ferrari parts.

These two photos, sent via an e-mail on a Sunday, nonetheless triggered stories of squandered Tandy computer fortunes and twice chassis rebodying, along with recounts by those who drove the car around Willow Springs with its 12-cylinder singing through quadraphonic megaphone exhaust, and rumbled back into the pits of desert gravel sprayed with oil.

The consensus among those who drove and raced the Testa Rossa with its original and replacement engines is that this car is indeed chassis number 0666 – the same car that recently sold for an astronomical amount of money, and a car that not so long ago was driven around on public roads with a Ford V-8 under the long hood. The same Ferrari that once called a garage in Manhattan Beach its home, and the race track its vacation land, has now moved into a different competition.

Legendary racer Sir Stirling Moss purchased a 1961 Porsche RS 61 Spyder for $1.705 million at this spring’s Amelia Island Auction by Gooding & Company. It was this car that he brought to the Monterey Motorsports Reunion at the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca this past Friday, where he was to compete in the group 1A class against Listers, Lotuses, Maseratis and other Porsches. This Porsche is one that he held in high esteem, having nearly won the 1960 Targa Florio in a similar RS 60 Spyder. Sadly, his first time on the track with his new RS 61 ended in disaster.

Monterey County’s The Herald reports that a combination of damp and foggy morning weather – common on the coast, where the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance is held, but less frequent inland by the race track – and cold tires caused Moss to spin the car out on his first lap. His car was then hit by another car that lost control in the same spot. The 80-year-old was not injured in the crash, but his Spyder was badly damaged, and it was not able to compete in the weekend’s racing events. He has vowed to repair the car and race it next year.

It’s a good thing that the Monterey Historics publishes a comprehensive program, because otherwise, you’d have a real problem identifying some of the cars that compete there. Check this out.

Give up? It’s a 1952 Jowett Jupiter, which came off the road in California and then got prepped as maybe the most unlikely production racing car in North America, as it’s been for years now. The car, and the effort behind it, is unbelieveably simple. Any number of these “sporting gentleman” teams arrive at Laguna Seca with full crews and NASCAR- or IRL-type haulers. Scott Renner of Los Alamitos, California, had a single crewman and towed the Jowett behind an old van. They told us they had a blast, making them our kind of guys. This is a pure driver’s challenge; look at Steve putting the spine and shoulders into this corner, running on skinnies maybe a third of the width of a Harley V-Rod’s back tire.

After posting several shots of the vintage Trans-Am and Sports Car event from the 2008 Monterey Historics, the somewhat overwhelming call for more imagery was from enthusiasts of the sports car genre. To be more specific, Group 4A – 1956-’61 over 2,500cc. So, for all you who love the look of Europe’s finest racing machines, here’s one last look. (Soon to be posted: 1972-1983 Historic IMSA GT cars!).

Chris Cox, of Chapel Hill, California, drove this 1958 Ferrari 412MI to a second place finish

Another Ferrari, this time a 1958 250TR piloted by Reno, Nevada’s Lou Sellyei to a 21st place finish – and last car to complete all 13 laps

Dropping through the corkscrew was this 1959 Lister-Chevrolet with Nick Colonna, who came home in fifth place

Dick Jutras of Castaic, California, drove this 1958 Devin Special to a 17th place finish

The elevation drop – tree and all – of the corkscrew is a nice backdrop for 1959 Hagemann-Sutton Special driven to a podium finish of third by Westley, California’s Butch Gilbert

As mentioned earlier, here’s some on-track action that never made the cut in the December 2008 issue of Hemmings Motor News (actually, we didn’t have enough room). Group 4A – reserved for sports cars from 1956-1961 over 2,500cc – ran their 13-lap even on Saturday. By the time I had climbed the hill and wound my way over to the famed “corkscrew,” it was a little difficult to find a shooting location without getting blitzed by spectators whose view I had just accidentally blocked – can’t blame them, I would be upset, too. Persistence paid off, though, and in the end I had a prime location to capture some of the action.

A 1959 Lister-Jaguar (car #60 driven by Michael Silverman of Scottsdale, Arizona) chases the 1958 Ferrari 250TR driven by David Love of San Rafael, California. Michael would eventually finish 15th, while David took the checkers in 20th.

Attendance at vintage racing festivals doesn’t lie: there are a huge number of fans waiting to see more than the allotted two and one-half pages of coverage from the Monterey Historics in the December 2008 issue of Hemmings Motor News. Fortunately for those who wanted to see more, there are a few of us in the friendly confines of the editorial department who are fans as well, and thus the shutters were nearly overworked during the weekend of August 15-17. We certainly won’t be able to post them all here, but we’ll give you a two-course meal. First the appetizer: four memories from the paddock.

The morning warm-ups on Saturday did not go as planned for everybody, as evident by this 1972 Chevron B26 on the rollback. We’re not sure what happened on-track, but we do know Murray Smith, of Washington, Connecticut, was unable to start in his feature: Class 8A, reserved for 1964-1975 FIA Sports Cars.

John Dimmer – of Tacoma, Washington – and his 1971 Tyrrell 004 was also receiving a helping hand in getting back to the paddock. The Tyrrell was once driven by legend Jackie Stewart. Although this might not look good now, John was able to make the grid for the 1967-1978 F-1 cars (Class 6B), finishing seventh out of 24 entries – 27 were scheduled to start.

Before the start of the ever-popular Historic Trans-Am (1966-1974) feature, Walt Boeninger was making some final adjustments to his 1967 Ford Shelby G.T.350. Walt, hailing from Saratoga, California, completed all 10 laps of the race on Saturday afternoon, finishing 28th of 34 starters (40 scheduled). Incidentally, Bob Barker, Dick Carter and Jerry Oliver each had a turn behind the wheel of the Shelby. According to Trans-Am records, the best finish for this particular Shelby was a ninth place at the 2nd Annual Kent 300 at Pacific Raceways (in Kent, Washington) on October 6, 1968, with Bob Barker behind the wheel.

Not exactly the paddock, but pit road will do. Except that pit road wasn’t exactly the place Scott Drnek wanted to be once the Historic F-1 feature got underway. The Hayward, California, resident was only able to complete seven of the 10 scheduled laps thanks to – what appeared to us as – engine failure. His steed, a 1970 Brabham BT33, was posted 23 of 24 at the finish.

The Cooper Car Company of England will be the featured marque at the 33rd Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races, to be held from August 18-20, 2006. The Cooper Car Company became famous for its rear-engine, single-seat Formula One and Indianapolis 500 racers before tuning the 1960s Mini Cooper. The Cooper celebration will coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The 2006 Monterey Historics will also showcase IMSA, Can-Am and Trans-Am cars that originally raced at Laguna Seca, as well as historic Formula One cars.

(This post originally appeared in the September 8, 2005, issue of the Hemmings eWeekly Newsletter.)